Games

Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!? (Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! in North America) is the second point-and-click adventure game based on Terry Pratchett's series of fantasy novels set on the mythical Discworld. The game was developed and produced in 1996 by Perfect Entertainment for the PC, and ported in 1997 for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was published by Psygnosis for the PC and PlayStation, and by Sega for the Saturn (only in Europe). In Discworld II the player controls Rincewind the "wizzard" (voiced by Eric Idle, as in the previous game) who has been burdened with the task of coercing Death out of his impromptu retirement and back into his regular duties. The plot borrows from a number of Discworld books, most notably Reaper Man, Moving Pictures and Lords and Ladies. It all begins in a quiet Ankh-Morpork street, where Rincewind and The Librarian inexplicably fail to die from a nearby cart-bomb explosion. The odd event is not shared by them alone however: occurrences of the newly dead re-awakening and disturbing the populace are being reported all over the city, prompting the Archchancellor of Unseen University to halt his usual activities of feasting and merrymaking, and to take charge of the situation. Much to Rincewind's despair, the entirety of this process involves appointing him to the task of finding Death and convincing him to resume his work.

Mortality Bytes casts players again in the role of Rincewind, from the first game. Death, the grim reaper, who normally ushers the Discworld inhabitants into the afterlife, is on an extended vacation. This means that those whose "time is up" are faltering around in limbo. Now it's up to Rincewind to bring him back or suffer the fate of immortality. Gameplay is divided into 4 Acts. There are many locations to explore and a multitude of obstacles in Rincewind's path to overcome. Conversations with characters and interaction with inventory objects is necessary to move ahead. The game features unique humour similar to the previous game.

Ankh-Morpork is a city surrounded by darkness, where the cold river Ankh flows, where it always rains, and where dwarves and trolls co-exist with secret societies, religious fanatics, stupid police captains, and bar pianists. It is also where a bitterly sarcastic sharp-eyed private investigator named Lewton tries to earn a living solving bizarre cases. A mysterious woman named Carlotta hires him to find her lost lover. Wandering through the dark city and gathering evidence, Lewton has to solve the case, confront a sinister conspiracy, and once again become torn between love and despair.

In order to lift the curse placed upon the inhabitants of Veldime 15 years prior, the protagonist's mother attempts to summon the evil Overilord Zenon so that her son Adell can defeat him and lift the curse. Instead his daughter, Rozalin is summoned, and Adell commits to returning her home to her father, as well as to defeating her father when they find him. The game is a turn-based strategy RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics. Classes gain abilities by gaining character levels, and can level up those abilities through use. New items and equipment can be bought or won in battle, and can be powered up up by entering and winning battles inside a given item. Characters can also "gang up" on enemies by performing combos that are activated by positioning other characters near an attacking character. This action only uses the attacking character's turn, leaving the others free to attack again. Clever coordination can have characters attacking quite a few times per turn. New characters can be created (or even reborn as other classes or just more powerful versions of the same class) by petitioning (or even bribing with special items) the Dark Assembly with "Mana" you earn by defeating enemies.

In the peaceful world of Veldime, humans rarely encountered monsters. That was until Overlord Zenon cursed the land and all who reside within. With the curse in place, the humans became monsters and ravaged the world. It is up to Adell, the last remaining human, to oppose Overlord Zenon's tyranny and restore peace and harmony to Veldime. In Disgaea 2, players will take on the role of a young fighter named Adell and travel the Netherworld to defeat the evil overlord Zenon. Battles will take place on a 3D grid-based field. During combat, players will take turns with the enemy to move and attack.

Disgaea 3 is a sequel to Disgaea, a hardcore, turn-based strategy RPG. The game follows the exploits of Mao, the most honored student at Evil Academy, a school where the tardiest, laziest, and rudest demons receive the highest marks. The son of the school chairman, Mao has never once attended class nor opened a textbook. He longs to overthrow his father and assume the title of Overlord, which he decides he must become a hero to achieve. Join him on his zany adventure filled with witty dialogue, exciting events, and thrilling strategy battles.

Disgaea 3 is a tactical RPG; most of the game involves battles on isometric maps upon which the player controls a group of characters. Maps often feature "geo blocks" with statistical effects on the battlefield, that, unlike in previous games, can be stacked or stood upon. Many objects in the environment, including these blocks, and characters themselves, can be lifted, thrown, or destroyed. Certain classes can create boxes or barrels to create stepping stones. Characters can form stacks, allowing them to reach higher areas or perform "tower attacks". When throwing a character to a monster-type ally, they will bounce an extra distance based on the second thrower's direction. With the newly introduced "magichange" feature, monsters are able to transform into specific weapons in which a partner can use to execute a strong technical attack. To do this they must be assigned to the same club as the ally, and the change is temporary. After two turns the monster disappears from battle.

The game takes place in a Netherworld, common in Disgaea titles, and similar to Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, focuses itself on a specific theme. Nippon Ichi, apparently feeling that it had exhausted all the game systems a school setting can provide, made the story one of a more political nature. While aspects of Netherworld politics existed in previous games, it is the central focus of the story and the gameplay in Disgaea 4.

Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness, known in Japan as Disgaea Dimension 2 (ディスガイア D2?), is a 2013 video game in the Disgaea series developed by Nippon Ichi Software. The game is a sequel to 2003's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PlayStation 2, where the respective main characters of that game will again be the focus. It was released on March 20, 2013, for the PlayStation 3 in Japan.